Additional data referred to as meta data are commonly recorded in record mediums for content such as movies, music, photos, and so forth such that the meta data are associated with the content. When content is a movie, the actors, actresses, director, year of production, plot, and so forth of the movie are recorded as meta data to a record medium. When content is music content, the title, genre, performing duration, performers, and so forth of the music are recorded as meta data to a record medium. These meta data can be reproduced independently from the content. Thus, the viewer/listener of content can easily know a feature of content using meta data.
Content of these movies, music, and so forth is generally narrative and the mental state of the viewer/listener of content changes corresponding to the story development and scenes. In other words, the mental state of the viewer/listener changes, namely he or she is surprised, impressed, disembarrassed, and/or excited corresponding to scenes of content. The changes of the mental state of the viewer/listener are expressed by changes of appearance, presence of perspiration, changes of heart rate, changes of blood pressure, and so forth. The changes of the mental state of the viewer/listener largely depend on the scenes and story development of content and so do the surrounding environment in which he or she is viewing and/or listening to content. For example, if the viewer/listener views a picture of the south pole on a hot midsummer day, he or she tends to feel comfortable. In contrast, if the viewer/listener views the same picture of the south pole on a cold midwinter day, he or she may feel uncomfortable. Thus, the mental state of the viewer/listener variously changes corresponding to scenes of content and the surrounding environment in which he or she is viewing and/or listening to content.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-344904 describes a content reproducing apparatus and so forth that measure the reactions of the viewer/listener against content being reproduced and generate evaluation values based on the measured results as well as reproduce content. The content reproducing apparatus and so forth described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-344904 change the brightness and sound level of a picture after a predetermined scene on the basis of the evaluated values.
The mental state of the user against content reproduced in the past, his or her surrounding environment, and the use mode of content depend on him or her. An impression of whether the viewer/listener was impressed or excited by a particular scene of content that he or she viewed and/or listened to just depends on him or her. The user may memorize the impression of content in association therewith. If content is reproduced at a user's memorable location, he or she may memorize the location in association with the content.
In the related art, meta data recorded in association with content are information of for example the performers, audiences, plot, and so forth added by the content production side. It is impossible to cause the changes of a user's emotion and his or her surrounding environment that occurred when content was reproduced to recur. In the content reproducing apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-344904, a reproducing mode of content is changed corresponding to a user's reaction against content being reproduced. However, this related art reference does not describe technologies of which changes of a user's emotion and his or her surrounding environment that occurs when content is reproduced are recorded as meta data.
If the mental state of the user and his or her surrounding environment that occurs when content is reproduced can be recorded as meta data in association with content, when the same content is reproduced corresponding to the meta data, the mental sate and surrounding environment of the user that occurred when the content was reproduced can be caused to recur.